148 The Bee People. 



but it might as well be, for it is the piping 

 of another young queen just about to come 

 forth from its cell. 



The throne is not secure, after all, for 

 there is another queen to dispute it. 



Of course there are ways of disposing of 

 rivals to the throne, or there used to be, 

 as any one who has read the early history 

 of England knows. 



You may smother them in a tower, 

 or poison them, or do something of that 

 sort. 



Bees know how to smother bees that 

 they hate, and they know how to poison 

 them, but queen bees prefer to fight like 

 queens for their thrones, and not get them 

 by stealth or by striking in the dark ; that 

 is, if the rival is already out of her cradle. 



If a second queen hatches out of her cell 

 before the first young queen finds her, there 

 is a fight. 



The workers stand around and watch 

 the conflict, but they never interfere, nor 



